Process of forming glass tiles.



W. P. MEEKER. PROCESS 0F PORMING GLASS TILES. "APPLIUATION FILED DBO. 4. 1907.

O. e O m Ldv ...t w

W. P. MEEKER. PRocBss oF PQRMING GLASS TILES. APPLICATION FILED DEO.4. 1907.

r Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

y Y n u@ Mo@ V ki www M,

A UNITED sTATEs V PATENT oEEroE.

WIELIAMrAssMonE-MEEKEE or MAPLEwooD, NEW JEEsEr.

rocnss or romaine (uniss Truss.

I Bpecication of Lettere Patent. applicati-ri mea recenter also?. saai Nanette.'

Patented March 23, -1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be -it known that I, WILLIAM IAssMoEE MEEKER, a citizenofvthe United States, re-

siding at "Maplewood, Essex county, New

Jersey, have invented certain new and useful `Improvements in the Process of Forming Glass Tiles, of which the.y following is a specication.

' My invention relates to a process for making melted glasslinto a formembod' "ng attached sections ada ted to form tilde, manipulating this moldld form and ultimately separating the sections so that each shall form a completed tile; and my improvements consist 1n the particulars hereinafter set forth.

In the art of molding lass tiles, inorder to secure smoothand unwrinkled tile faces, it is necessa in the process of molding, 'to drive the mol ed glass quickly and firmly into the 'face forming portion of the mold to hold the molded tile 1n position until'it is hardened, to

remove it from the press without bending or breakingit, and to so hold it` during the 'process of annealing that it 'shall not become warped or distorted. When the tiles are provided with undercut ,lugs or rejections upon their backs this last. step ecomes a.

matter of some difficulty because they cannot be laid face upwithout' being liable to warp centrali and if they are laid face-,down they are like y to be marred or scratched. Furthermore, if the tile press is ,worked rapidly the bottom and sides ofA the press are hkely to become so heated that the glass, if allowed to stand in them until it hardens, will adhere thereto, and the molded surfaces will be marred or lbroken when the tiles are removed from the press; and if .the press is worked so slowlyas to prevent overheating, the time of the' operation is so lengthened as to greatly increase the cost of the operation.

My improved process 1s directed to steps whereby I successfully accomplish the desired results and avoid the difficulties I have refprredto. 4 l

`n carrylng out my process I em oy a suitable ress, one form 'of which have 4 illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

' which- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the press, and Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the connected tile sections formed therein.

Both ends of these tile sections and connect ing web -gutter are alike.- Fig. 3 is an end view lof the press showing the plunger down'and the pressed glass in dotted lines; Fig. 4 isan end view of the sides removed from the press carrying the molded glass with" thern-yFig. 5 shows the sides resting upon suitable supports and with the Iformer Z resting .upon the upper tile-edgesyFig. 6 shows the sides and molded glass turned upside. down; Fig. 7 yis an end View of the molded glass freed from the press; and Fig. 8 shows' 1n erspective the two tiles separated from thelr gutter-web.

A quantity (gf glass is laced in the groove C 0f the'base A, the sidls E E are brought down so as to rest upon the base on opposite sides ofthe gutter, the plun er M andthe top F are brought down u nti the top rests upon and over aps the inner edges of the sides, and its ends G G close the end spaces between the sides, and the plunger, continuing its descent, strikes the mass of melted glass and forces it quickly up into the s aces between theplunger and the sides o the .mold, as shown in Fig. 3, forming the glass into the desired tile sections and leaving a gutter-like web of glass V, ends 'v v, uniting the lower e ges of the tile sections U U, it being understood that suf- -cient space is left vbetween the lower ends of the plunger and the ends of thegroove C to allow the l/ass to form the end-webs 'v o of the gutter The plunger and top are-now raised while the glass is still soft and hot so that it will readily separate from'their metal surfaces, the depending ends G G of the top being withdrawn from the ends of thel tile sections leaving them free from end contact in the mold. 'The sides E E are next, by means of a suitable handle R, raised free from the bed or base of the press, as shown in Fig.4 4, carrying with and the sides E E, with the molded glass still between them, are then placed upon any suitable supports WV W, which will hold -them so that the gutter-like Web between thetile sections shall be free from contact with the surface below it, (see Fig. and the glass is allowed to partially stillen. In stili'- ening, if they are not gripped in position at' .their upper edges, the tile sections arculiable to twist or warp away from the sides, and, to prevent their hardening withsuch a twist in them, I place over them a suitable former rovided with them the molded form vof glass, which, being still soft,"` comes from the bottom of the mold,

Z,- plreferably of brass, or I run a suitable stic or other hand tool lengthwise along the edge of the tile sections flattening them down stick to the glass.

y .the top and bottom and .Ithen lift the sides then allow smoothly against the sides, and l has hardened the glass to harden. When it I turn the sides E E u side down as in Fig. 6, so that the molded g ass will rest upon its free tile edges with the gutter V up ermost, E E off of t e glass, from kwhich they readily free themselves, owing to the angle at which they separate from each other and also owing to the'fact that in the process, as tlius conducted, the sides do not become sufficiently heated to It will be understood that while one molded portion is hardening and cooling another pair of sides may be put into the press and another tile form pressed up, two or more side sets being thus used in succession with the same bottom, top and plunger. The molded glass, still in one piece, is next annealed in the usual manner, resting, during the process, u on its free tile edges, as in Fig. 7, which are llield by the surface below them against distortion, while the upper edges are held by the gutter-web V, which is braced against collapse by its end webs c; and when the annealing process has been completed the gutter web is cut or broken away from the tile sections as in Fi 8., which will then be ready for use andlwill e found to be straight and perfect. "Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire t'o secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. The 1process of forming glass tiles, consisting in rst molding in a press tile sections with temporary, integralv web-braces between them, freeing. the molded form from portions of the press,

allowing the glass to set while in the sides oi' the press, removing the molded form from the sides, annealing it while resting upon its free tile edges, and lastly separating the tile sections by cutting o'if f breaking away the temporary web sections.

2. The rocess of forming glasstiles, consisting in st molding a connected plurality of tile sections in a press, freeing the same from Athe top and bottom portions of the press, allowing the glass to partially harden in the sides of the ress, pressing down the edges. of the moldeiorm with a hand tool,

vsisting in curved web provided with a plura 'lapse resisting allowing the glass to set, removing thel molded form from the sides by inverting the same, annealing the molded ioiin while resting upon its free tile edges, and lastly separatine the tile sections.

3. he process of forming glass tiles, consisting in irst molding a plurality of tile sections connected the saine from the top and bottoni portions of the press, allowing the glass to partially harden in the sides connecting web stands free, pressing down the edges of the molded form with a hand tool, allowing the glass to set, removing the molded form from the sides by inverting the same, annealing the molded form while resting upon its free tile edges, and lastly separating the tile sections.

4. The rocess oi' forming glass tiles, coniii'st molding in a ress a pair of tile sections laterally connectedJ by a Vgutter-web with closed ends, freeing the same from the top and bottom portions oi' the press, allowing the glass to partially harden in the sides of the dpress, pressing down the edges of the molde form with a hand tool, allowing the glass to set, removing the moldedform from the sides by invertinf the same, annealing the molded form while resting upon yits free tile edges, and lastly separating the tile sections irom the gutter web.

5. A new article of manufacture, consisting of a molded form of glass embodying tile portions connected by a temporary web provided with a collapse-resisting member disposed transversely thereof.

6. A new article oi' manufacture, consisting of a molded l'orm of glass embodying tile portions connected by a temporary laterally 'ty of colmembers disposed transversely thereof.

7. A new article of iiianui'acture, consisting of a molded form of glass embodying tile portions connected by a grooved web niember provided with a plurality of collapseresisting members disposed transversely thereof.

WlLlilAM PASSMORE M EEKER.'

by a suitable web, freeing of the press while the 

